Satan in the Old Testament
I. Introduction
A. He goes by many names: the Devil, the Evil One, Mephistopheles,
Beelzebub, etc.
B. Satan!
C. The very name conjures up discomfort, fear, and hostility; pictures
abound of a red satyr humanoid with goat feet, horns, and a trident
D. In fact, few characters from Scripture prove as controversial as
Satan
E. We should not be surprised; he is a master deceiver, and the
controversies around him suit him well!
1. Many are convinced he does not exist at all, presuming him a
projection of those who feel guilt for doing things they want to
do and/or as a means of controlling the behavior of others
2. Others think Satan is under every rock and behind every tree, and
anything that happens that may be construed as remotely negative
is the work of the Devil
3. Almost everyone has a view of Satan shaped and formed far more by
the imaginations of mankind over the past two thousand years than
anything actually revealed about him in Scripture!
F. Despite all the controversy, people have a lot of questions about
Satan
1. Who is he? Where did he come from?
2. Is Satan equal to God? Is he part of God’s creation? Why would
God create Satan?
3. How much does Satan know, and how does he know it?
4. What kinds of influence does Satan have on people, and how does
he work?
5. Does Satan have influence beyond people, corrupting systems and
institutions?
G. We do well to turn to the Scriptures to explore what they have to say
about Satan; to do so, we must begin with what God made known to
Israel in the Old Testament
II. The or a Satan
A. “Satan” is a Hebrew word meaning “adversary”
B. An adversary is an opponent, and the term is used for others beyond
the one we speak of as Satan!
1. Numbers 22:22: when Balaam agreed to go along with Balak’s
messengers, YHWH was angered, and sent His angel to stand as a
satan, or adversary, against him
2. Also commonly used to describe human opponents: 2 Samuel 19:22,
1 Kings 5:4, 11:14, 23, 25, Psalm 109:6
C. This has led some to suggest Satan is not really a diabolical person
but either plays a role or represents a title given to one who plays
a role: a satan or the satan
D. While the popular caricature of Satan is indeed misguided, going to
the opposite extreme of complete depersonalization also does not
respect the evidence, as we shall see
E. Yes, Satan has his role to play in the divine economy, but it is
uniquely his
F. But we do well to remember that Satan means adversary; there may be
times when God must send an angel to serve as a satan, or adversary,
against people; may it never prove necessary for us!
III. Explicit References to Satan in the Old Testament
A. Explicit references to Satan in the Old Testament are found in three
places: the Chronicler’s understanding of David’s census in
1 Chronicles 21:1; Satan presented before YHWH in Job 1 and 2; Satan
as adversary of Joshua the high priest in Zechariah 3:1-2
B. Satan and David: 1 Chronicles 21:1
1. According to the Chronicler, Satan stood against Israel, and moved
David to number Israel in a census in 1 Chronicles 21:1
2. In the parallel account in 2 Samuel 24:1, it is the anger of YHWH
which is kindled against Israel for some unspecified reason, and
it is He who moved David to number Israel in a census
3. These two posit very different origins of the difficulty!
4. We can best harmonize by understanding YHWH as giving space for
Satan to tempt David; in this way Satan is working according to
God’s purposes, although how conscious he is of this is left
unrevealed
C. Satan, the Sons of God, and Job: Job 1-2
1. The fullest portrayal of Satan in the Old Testament is found in
the introduction to the book of Job
2. Satan is envisioned as presenting himself before YHWH along with
the “Sons of God” who do so (Job 1:6, 2:1): “Sons of God” are
spiritual beings, and while the author of Job remarks how Satan
presented himself before YHWH, it is not marked out as entirely
odd or out of place
3. In both instances YHWH asks what Satan has been doing, and he says
he has gone to and fro on the earth; at this time Satan freely
roams in heaven and on earth (Job 1:7, 2:2)
4. YHWH asks Satan to consider His servant Job, who does good; there
is clearly a back story of what Satan is up to when he goes about
the earth (Job 1:8, 2:3)
5. Satan insinuates that Job serves YHWH only because he has been
protected and hedged in by him; when that fails, Satan insinuates
that if he is struck by terrible illness, he will turn from God
(Job 1:9-11, 2:4-5)
6. YHWH both times allows Job to fall into Satan’s hands, yet both
times with restrictions; Satan cannot do just anything to him
(Job 1:12, 2:6)
7. Satan causes disaster for Job: his children and property are gone;
he is wracked with boils (Job 1:13-22, 2:7-10)
8. Satan can cause great distress, but it is always within the bounds
of God’s will; their relationship is adversarial to at least some
degree, but Satan has a role here which God countenances
D. Satan and Joshua: Zechariah 3:1-2
1. In a vision Zechariah sees Joshua the high priest of the time
standing before the angel of YHWH, and Satan is there as his
adversary (Zechariah 3:1)
2. Zechariah hears YHWH rebuke Satan, since Joshua is a brand plucked
out of the fire: Joshua is to be cleansed, sanctified, and to
perform his sacerdotal duties (Zechariah 3:2)
3. Here we see Satan portrayed in almost a courtroom situation as the
adversary, functioning like a prosecutor; we are not given reason
to believe this is unusual
E. With all the talk about Satan we might expect more examples, but
these are the only times Satan is explicitly mentioned in the Old
Testament!
IV. Potential References to Satan in the Old Testament
A. There are other Old Testament passages which many believe have
reference to Satan
B. The Serpent, Genesis 3:1-15
1. In Genesis 3:1-15, a serpent questions Eve, casting aspersions
about God’s motivations from hindering them from eating of the
fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and to doubt
God’s goodness toward them; for this the serpent is cursed
2. Genesis 3:15 is often seen as one of the first messianic passages,
expressing hope that whereas the serpent attacks man’s heel, a
Man would come to strike the serpent’s head
3. For the Christian the identification of the serpent with Satan is
assured by what is made known to John in Revelation 12:9, 20:2
4. Whereas there is no dispute with this identification, it comes
only in the New Testament; a student of the Old Testament alone
might make associations between the serpent and Satan, but such
an association is not guaranteed by the OT alone
5. For this reason what is to be said about the serpent as Satan is
best suited for the New Testament in which this is made known by
explicit revelation
C. Lucifer, Isaiah 14:12-17
1. Many speak of Satan as Lucifer, as one who presumed to overthrow
God’s rule and establish his own, but failed and was cast down
into the pit
2. This story is associated with Isaiah 14:12-17, and the details of
the story are correct: Isaiah is giving a taunting lament to one
who has presumed to elevate his throne to the stars, but was cast
down to the pit; the son of the day star, Lucifer, is indeed being
taunted here
3. Yet neither Satan nor any angelic being is explicitly identified
or spoken of in this passage; contextually, Isaiah calls it a
parable, or taunt, against the king of Babylon, most likely
Nebuchadnezzar (if not a code really for the Assyrian king
Sennacherib; Isaiah 14:4)
4. While it remains possible that Isaiah is taunting Nebuchadnezzar
in terms of what Satan had done long before, one cannot come to
this conclusion on the basis of this text alone; the text has many
indications that the referent is very specifically Nebuchadnezzar,
for the land has rest from its ravaging at his hands, and he did
attempt to exalt himself mightily (cf. Daniel 4:28-33)
5. It is not wise, therefore, to speculate regarding Satan as if he
is the Lucifer of Isaiah 14:12-17
D. The Lamentation over the King of Tyre, Ezekiel 28:11-19
1. In his nation oracles Ezekiel spends much time on Tyre and its
downfall; in Ezekiel 28:11-19 he is told to take up a lament over
the king of Tyre
2. Yet it is a strange lament indeed: the king of Tyre is said to
have been in Eden, the garden of God; he was as covered with all
kinds of precious stones; he was blameless until corrupted by
trade, and now is exposed and burned up
3. References to being in Eden have caused people to wonder if behind
this lament over Tyre is some reference to Satan and his
corruption
4. But again we have reasons to be skeptical: the end of the lament
brings us right back to the situation of Tyre, and thus it makes
more contextual sense to suggest that YHWH is speaking of Tyre in
terms of Eden, perhaps because it looked like an opulent garden,
and persisted for some time as sustained by God because of their
alliance with Israel but eventually corrupted by trade and greed
5. Thus, again, it would not be wise to speculate about the nature of
Satan based on the lament over the king of Tyre in
Ezekiel 28:11-19
E. Thus, while Satan is associated with the serpent in the Garden of
Eden, such association is only made explicit in the New Testament;
discussions of Lucifer and the king of Tyre are not directly
associated with Satan in any way
V. Satan the Adversary
A. Having explored the Scriptures regarding Satan in the Old Testament,
what shall we say to these things?
B. We do see some indication of Satan as the tempter and the source of
all sorts of distress and pain, as seen in the stories of David and
Job
C. Yet the primary way in which the Old Testament views Satan is
according to his name: the opponent, or adversary
1. We would put it in terms of the prosecutor: he is the one who
makes the indictment, or accusation, of wrongdoing before God
2. This may seem strange to us at first since we tend to see Satan as
nothing but malevolent, and he certainly was not acting as
adversary or opponent for altruistic reasons
3. And yet it does make some sense: Satan is the opponent, the
adversary of humanity; he tempts humanity into doing less than
ideal things; and so is it that hard to imagine that Satan would
be the one making the accusation of wrongdoing against a person
before God to secure the person’s indictment and condemnation?
4. And throughout the Old Testament God gives Satan that place and
allows him to stand as the adversary/opponent/prosecutor: he is
able to make accusation before God, and God hears it
5. YHWH may grant Satan to tempt people into evil on account of
YHWH’s anger against His people, as with David; YHWH may allow
Satan to do mischief against His servants, as with Job; yet YHWH
will also shut down Satan’s accusations when He has a greater
purpose, as with Joshua the high priest
6. Yet in all of this Satan has his place in the divine economy: he
is the Adversary, the Opponent, and he would have YHWH condemn all
humanity because of their transgressions!
D. This aspect of Satan’s role is not emphasized in the New Testament,
for according to what is seen in Revelation 12:7-12, evoking
Luke 10:18, Satan, the Accuser of our brethren, lost the war in
heaven, and was cast down to earth, never to accuse the brethren
again
1. When Jesus died and was raised again in power, there was no more
need for the Adversary to stand against people before God
2. The covenant people of God would now have standing because of the
blood of Christ granting that access; there was no basis for
accusation against it by Satan (Romans 5:6-11, 8:30-31,
Ephesians 2:18)
3. Those who would be condemned would be judged by the word of God in
Christ, and Jesus would be the judge of that, not Satan
(John 12:48, Acts 17:30-31)
E. And yet we do well to consider the role of Satan as Adversary, the
Prosecutor, and see how he may still work among mankind in similar
ways!
1. After all, what would have been Satan’s accusation against an
Israelite before YHWH?
2. He would have pointed out the Israelite’s sins and failings; the
goal would be to have YHWH condemn that Israelite for their sins
3. Israel certainly gave the Adversary enough evidence with which to
operate!
4. Satan thus proves to be a prosecutor, and a zealous one at that!
F. Think about a modern prosecutor, especially one overly zealous for
justice
1. What would happen to such a person?
2. They would easily fixate on the law to precise details; they would
relish any opportunity to indict anyone of not measuring up to the
standard of the law
3. They would want prosecution without mercy
4. After all, to him all people on trial are transgressors and
criminals, and should be treated sharply and harshly: they have
broken the law!
G. Yet is this how we want to be treated? Is this how we want God to
treat us?
H. We are quite acquainted with Satan as the tempter toward moral
laxity, lasciviousness, and profligacy; but are we aware that he also
stands behind the temptation toward legalism, overemphasis on justice
against compassion and mercy, and rules over people?
1. Such is how Satan is the merciless prosecutor: OK, YHWH, you
established this Law; you made this people; they have
transgressed; you need to condemn them!
2. At times YHWH consents to the indictment; at times YHWH relents
and elects to show grace and mercy to His people
3. We can imagine how this made Satan feel; it would be like a
zealous prosecutor watching a judge show mercy to a person
convicted of a crime
I. Again, Satan has been cast down from heaven; he is no longer in a
position to accuse us...
J. ...but he is perfectly positioned to induce us to accuse each other!
1. There is a reason for the warnings of Romans 14:10-12 and
James 4:11-12
2. We do well to remember that, yes, publicans and sinners who did
not repent were caught in Satan’s snares and would be condemned...
but the Pharisees found themselves in the same position!
3. After all, what is God after? Relational unity between God and
man and man with man as God is One in Himself (John 17:20-23)
4. To accomplish this God demonstrated love, grace, and mercy in
Christ while upholding justice (Romans 5:6-11); mercy is to
triumph over judgment (James 2:13)
5. Thus, efforts which lead to alienation among people because of
excessive legalism and judgmentalism is as much the work of Satan
as alienation among people because of other sins of the flesh
(Galatians 5:19-21)!
6. Yes, Christians are to be diligent to present themselves as
approved, without need to be ashamed, handling rightly the Word of
truth (2 Timothy 2:15); they are equally to be diligent to
maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace
(Ephesians 4:3), and that only happens through humility, grace,
and mercy, not zealous prosecution (Ephesians 4:4-32,
Philippians 2:1-4)
7. Sin needs to be exposed for what it is (Ephesians 5:11-13), but
the good news of Christ must come to the unrepentant and love,
grace, and mercy displayed toward the penitent (Matthew 28:18-20)
8. If we privilege rules over people, seek reasons to justify
ourselves against other, and presume ourselves in the right while
all others are in the wrong, are we the people of God or the
accusers of mankind?
9. If our emphasis on holiness leads us to exclude those whom Jesus
welcomed to Him, are we the people of Jesus or doing the Devil’s
bidding?
10. We would see Satan’s hand in those who would take away from what
God has declared to be right and good; do we see his hand equally
in those who prove quite willing to add additional burdens God
did not impose on mankind?
11. If we see Satan quite clearly in the temptation toward lust and
licentiousness, can we learn to see Satan just as clearly in the
temptation toward excessive fastidiousness and all forms of
asceticism?
K. Thus Christians do well to see there is no safety from Satan by
running to one extreme rather than the other: he is just as much
ready to tempt you by moral restriction as by moral laxity, to
become the adversary and accuser of others rather than bearing the
hopeful good news of Jesus to the world!
VI. Conclusion
A. We have begun to get a better understanding of who Satan is based on
what is made known of him in the Old Testament
B. We are not told as much as we might imagine; the Old Testament also
tells less about him than many have been taught to believe
C. We have seen him in the Old Testament primarily as the Adversary, the
one who would prosecute humanity before God
D. In Christ Satan’s role as Accuser is made void; Christians should
therefore be wary of taking up his mantle by his temptation to become
the adversary and accuser of mankind and their fellow brethren!
E. May we resist Satan and his temptations and draw near to God in
Christ to obtain the resurrection of life!
F. Invitation
Scripture, Meditation, and Application
1: And God's anger was kindled because he went; and the angel of YHWH
placed himself in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was
riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him (Numbers 22:22).
“Satan” conjures up a picture of a red satyr-like figure with horns and
a trident. “Satan” is a Hebrew word meaning “adversary”; it is used to
refer to the angel of YHWH who stood opposed to Balaam. It is also used
to refer to human opponents. Satan is thus to be understood as our
adversary. May we resist him and stand firm in Christ!
2: And Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel
(1 Chronicles 21:1).
According to the Chronicler, Satan moved David to number Israel to cause
trouble for Israel. According to the author of 2 Samuel, YHWH moved
David to do it (2 Samuel 24:1). Satan often acts within the purposes of
God whether he knows it or not. He was active in temptation then; he
remains active in temptation to this day. May we turn away from Satan
and toward God in Christ!
3: Now it came to pass on the day when the sons of God came to present
themselves before YHWH, that Satan also came among them.
And YHWH said unto Satan, “Whence comest thou?”
Then Satan answered YHWH, and said, “From going to and fro in the earth,
and from walking up and down in it” (Job 1:6-7).
All of Job’s trials derive from YHWH allowing Satan to tempt him to
demonstrate his faithfulness to YHWH. Satan is portrayed as able to
stand among the “sons of God,” spiritual beings, and to go to and fro
from heaven to earth and back. He and YHWH have a relationship: at
least somewhat adversarial to be sure, but YHWH has a place for Satan
in His economy. Satan can only go as far as YHWH allows him to go.
May we prove faithful to God no matter what trials we may encounter!
4: And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of
YHWH, and Satan standing at his right hand to be his adversary.
And YHWH said unto Satan, “YHWH rebuke thee, O Satan; yea, YHWH that
hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of
the fire? (Zechariah 3:1-2)
Zechariah is granted a vision of Joshua the high priest standing as if
on trial with Satan as his accuser next to him. YHWH would not hear of
Satan’s accusation against him! In the Old Testament Satan is seen
primarily in terms of the Adversary, the one who accuses the people of
God before Him regarding their sin and faithlessness. Thanks to Jesus
the Accuser has been cast out of heaven; Our Advocate is far stronger
than our Accuser. Yet we must be on guard lest we do Satan’s work for
him and prove to be the accuser and adversary of our fellow people of
God or people in the world without cause. May we resist Satan and draw
near to God in Christ!